Alumni

Basheerah Enahora, Ph.D., M.B.A., RDN, LDN

Brief Bio

Basheerah Enahora is a Registered Dietitian, Adjunct Professor in Nutrition at Johnson C Smith University, and a Ph.D. candidate in Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Her clinical and academic training and research experience have provided her with skills in providing medical nutrition therapy and designing nutrition and public health interventions.

Recently, she has been an integral part of the McGuirt Research Lab at UNCG conducting studies on using digital technologies to improve dietary intake and health behavior. Specific projects include developing a pilot of an online virtual reality avatar-led nutrition program for low-income children and a US Army Department of Defense-funded project testing geo-targeted mobile phone messaging to increase healthier food purchases among service members.

She is particularly interested in developing interventions to reduce childhood obesity among low-income, minority populations.

She continues to work clinically in private practice while pursuing her doctoral degree and has co-authored two peer-reviewed publications.

Mahoganey Frazier  
Dietetic Intern 
Email: mhfrazier@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Mahoganey earned her bachelor’s degree at UNCG and is currently in the MS/DI program. She hopes to pursue a career in dietetics as she has a passion for nutrition. 

Bruna Gutierrez dos Santos
Graduate Assistant
Email: b_gutier@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Bruna received her B.S. degree in Nutrition from Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo. She is pursuing her Ph.D. degree working with Dr. Maryanne Perrin.

Kristen Hagarty-Waite, M.S., RDN, LDN, CNSC
Graduate Assistant
Email: kahagarty@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Kristen received her Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University and her Master of Science from East Carolina University. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds a specialty certification in Nutrition Support from the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. In the Erikson lab, she is currently working on investigating the impact of diet induced obesity on the regulation of trace element metabolism and associated sex and strain differences in the mouse model. Her research interests include trace element metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases and factors that impact trace element metabolism in the brain.

Coleman Murray Hale, Ph.D., RDN, LDN

Brief Bio

Coleman earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition in December 2021 from UNCG.  Her doctoral research focused on adolescent hypertension and social determinants of health.

She aims to continue investigating how medical providers tailor their recommendations to patients, particularly as they relate to lifestyle behaviors and the integration of social determinants of health, in the prevention and treatment of elevated blood pressure and hypertension among adolescents.

Her long-term goal is to develop future lifestyle interventions to better meet the needs of patients and their families that experience limitations due to social determinants of health.  She is also interested in increasing awareness of the many beneficial roles RDNs play on patient care teams in the healthcare setting.

Dr. Hale earned her M.S. in Nutrition from UNCG in May 2017 and has been a registered and licensed dietitian in North Carolina since 2017.

Prior to this, she taught chemistry for three years at a Title 1 high school in High Point, NC.

Breia Hardy
Email: brhardy@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Breia received her Bachelor of Science with a major in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a student pursuing her Master of Science degree in Nutrition. She currently works at a living and rehabilitation center gaining more hands-on experience and in her free time she loves to spend time with her friends and family. Her hopes for the future are to complete the Dietetic Internship and work as a Registered Dietitian.

Marlen Hernandez
Graduate Assistant
Email: mmherna2@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Marlen received her BS degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from UNCG. She is now working on her MS degree while working with Dr. Jigna Dharod on the Infant Feeding and Nutrition study, looking at a variety of factors influencing infant feeding practices.

Imari Howell
Dietetic Intern 
Email: i_howell@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Imari is a dietetic intern at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, passionate about clinical and pediatric nutrition. She enjoys expanding her knowledge, exploring new topics in science, and advocating for evidence-based practice. Working in the hospital setting brings her fulfillment, especially when seeing patients improve.  

Lauren Hoyt
Dietetic Intern 
Email: lehoyt@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Lauren obtained her Bachelor of Science from NC State University and her Master of Science from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. She worked at NC State Sports Nutrition during her master’s program, where her passion for sports nutrition grew stronger. 

Marianne Hurtado-Corsico
Email: m_hurtad@uncg.edu

Tina Irrer, Ph.D.

Brief Bio

Tina is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the department of Nutrition.  Tina received her Bachelors of Science from North Carolina State University. 

Under the guidance of Dr. Haldeman, Tina’s research investigated the association of North Carolina fathers’ nutrition knowledge and child feeding styles and practices with child weight status. 

She recently completed the UNCG dietetic internship program with plans to complete her RDN credentials later in 2021. Upon completion of her Ph.D., Tina plans to pursue a role with a federal agency supporting national nutrition policy and guidance. 

Doreen Larvie, Ph.D.

Brief Bio

Doreen received her B.S. degree in Dietetics from the University of Ghana. She received her Ph.D. degree working with Dr. Seth Armah with a focus in Human/Clinical nutrition.

Tianjiao Li, Ph.D.

Brief Bio

Tianjiao received her B.S. degree in Preventive Medicine and M.S. degree in Nutrition and Food Hygiene from Harbin Medical University. She earned her Ph.D. degree working with Dr. Zhanxiang Zhou.

Diana Marcos-Rosas

Brief Bio

While working as an undergraduate research assistant, Diana obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She is now a part of the Master of Science/Dietetic Internship (MS/DI) Program. She continues to work with Dr. Dharod on the Infant Feeding and Nutrition Phase II Study (FeeN Phase II), now as a graduate research assistant. This study focuses on how food security and stress affect breastfeeding practices and breastmilk composition. She also assists in analyzing the involution and other related markers within breastmilk. Between engaging with study participants and conducting lab assays, Diana finds profound satisfaction with her nutritional research work and looks forward to exploring the research field. With plans to become a Registered Dietitian, she envisions using her extensive research and community engagement skills to enhance patient care. Diana also aims to help increase diversity within the dietetics field and promote culturally appropriate practices. Her interests lie in pediatric and oncology nutrition within clinical and community settings. 

Sydney McCune
Graduate Research Assistant
Email: samccune@uncg.edu

Brief Bio

Sydney received her B.S. degree in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry from University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is pursuing her Ph.D. degree working with Dr. Maryanne Perrin.